Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 5th round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft from Texas Tech University

Trey Masek has had quite the baseball career already at age 21. He has accomplished so much through the high school and college game. Some of his accolades include Louisville Slugger Texas High School Player of the Year, All Big 12 Honorable Mention, Academic All-Big 12 First Team and Golden Spikes Award Mid-Season Watch List among so many others. Trey also was studying civil engineering at Texas Tech while being a student-athlete. Now lets dive into the interview with Trey Masek. 1) What was it like to be named the Louisville Slugger Texas High School Player of the Year as a senior? Also as I look at your high school career you were not only a dominant pitcher but a great hitter as well. How did you decide to continue to pitch rather than focus on becoming a infielder or outfielder?
1. It was a bit of a shock when I was named Player of the Year in high school. In a state like Texas, which had guys in 2010 like Jameson Taillon, Zach Lee, Tyrell Jenkins, and my current teammate Rob Zastryzny, it was a huge honor to receive that award.
As far as hitting goes, the game of baseball kind of took care of that for me. I went into Texas Tech as a two-way player, and finished that first fall as a pitcher-only. To say I didn't hit well would be a severe understatement. 2) Of your four pitches (fastball,curve,slider and changeup) which is your best pitch and which one do you believe you have to improve on? 2. Of my four pitches, I believe my fastball is my best pitch so far. I've worked hard on commanding the pitch, as well as adding movement to it when necessary. I've gotten much better at cutting and sinking my fastball when I want to, and I feel like that will really help me as I begin to face wood bats on a regular basis. With that said, I really need to improve the consistency of my change-up. I've really worked hard this season on being able to throw it to both sides of the plate, and I feel like it will be a pitch that really helps me in the future. 3) Who was your role model growing up? This question is a piggyback to question 1 During your days a high school pitcher did you have scouts at your games from colleges? What was it like to deal with that pressure? 3. Growing up, I really looked up to smaller undersized pitchers like Roy Oswalt and Tim Lincecum. I've never been the biggest pitcher, so I've really looked up to guys like that who have made it big. Also I never had much interest from scouts coming out of high school. My only offer was from Texas Tech, and luckily it was the perfect fit for me. 4) What was your favorite collegiate moment? Also being a Junior going into the draft was their a certain round where if you were drafted later than that you would go back to school or was the decision always going to the Major Leagues? 4. My favorite moment from college would probably be making it to the Big 12 tournament this year. We had an extremely young team, and to be able to play in the postseason with them was special. And no, there wasn't a certain round that I set for me to go back to school or not. When it came to making a decision, I took into account the organization that picked me, and how much they valued me as a player and as a person. Luckily, the Chicago Cubs drafted me, and I'm now fortunate enough to be able to play for a first class organization. 5) When you pitched in the Cape Cod League over last summer how big of a transition from college hitters was it and what was your biggest takeaway from the experience? 5. Pitching in the Cape was a great experience. I got to face some of the best hitters in the country, and that alone helped me as a pitcher. The experience of facing those kind of hitters night in and night out helped me tremendously. 6) During this past season you had to overcome an injury with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, how did you cope with that when you were off to such a great start pitching wise? Also did you change anything in your delivery because of the injury? 6. Going through the tendinitis was extremely tough. I'm one of the most competitive people you'll ever meet, so sitting on the side having to watch my teammates play without me was hard. I was fortunate enough to have coaches like Coach Hayward and Coach Tadlock at Texas Tech who were cautious with me, and made me realize that you can't rush back from injuries. So to cope with the injury, I just made sure that I was diligent with my rehab, and that I did everything possible to help the team. 7) I had the privilege of watching the video of the scoreless streak and season highlights. What did the streak mean to you? Another thing that caught my eye was when Brandon Rawe of Texas Tech TV says there is dominance and then there is Trey Masek. How would you describe yourself? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i-qn5Q1YcNM 7. The streak at the beginning of the season was pretty awesome. To be that locked in for that long as a pitcher was a great feeling. And if I were to describe myself, I would have to say hard-working. It's an extremely cliche answer, I know, but I really pride myself on my work ethic. I don't have some of the God-given talents and physical attributes that some pitchers have, so I've had to work my tail off my whole life to get to this point in my career. 8) Finally, what was your reaction when the Chicago Cubs said they wanted to draft you in the 5th round number 138th overall? Where do you see yourself in five years? 8. Getting drafted by the Chicago Cubs is easily the best moment of my baseball career to date. I'm blessed to be able to call myself a member of such a great organization. And in five years, the goal is to obviously be in the major leagues helping the Cubs get to the World Series. However to get to that point, I need to be diligent with every aspect of the game, and work my rear end off to get there. I appreciate you taking the time for this interview Trey. I wish you the best of luck throughout this season and the season's to come. Would love to do a follow up at the end of the season to track your progress throughout the Cubs minor league system. You can follow Trey Masek @treymasek. For the latest news on the National League, Red Sox and Exclusive Minor League Interviews keep it here at CLNSRadio.com or follow me on Twitter @RobBestWiller

CLNSRadio.com's National League Correspondent. Joined CLNSRadio.com in January 2013. Lifelong Chicago sports fan. Follow me on Twitter @RobBestWiller. Attending Northern Illinois with a Business major and Spanish minor. My goal is to help expand CLNSRadio’s Baseball coverage over this coming season.